


Shelter

by twistedrunes



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Attempted Murder, F/M, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Past Abuse, Suicide Attempt, the shelby boys looking after their own
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 17:51:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17585516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twistedrunes/pseuds/twistedrunes
Summary: Shortfic/request: would you do a protective short fic with John? The reader got hurt but won’t tell them why or what happened. Its frustrating but they wanna help (anon)





	Shelter

Tugging your cardigan down over your hands you wrap your arms around yourself as you run, only now becoming aware of the cold. You yelp as yet another sharp stone digs into your foot. Hardly a surprise on the shitty streets of Small Heath. Somehow, despite the cold making your feet feel numb, the stone feels like a hot knife plunging into your foot. Stumbling, you fall heavily against the dark timber door of one of the houses, banging your head against the door. Scrabbling you struggle to regain your footing, and land heavily against the door again. With a sob, you sink to the step and lean back against the door.

“What the fuck is that racket?” Someone yells from the other side of the door.

Before you can react you are falling backwards and are blinded by light. It takes a moment for you to work out you were lying in the hallway of the Shelby residence looking up at John.  

“What the fuck?” The John repeats dropping to his knees beside you. “Fuck, Rosie, is that you?” He asks, brushing your hair back from your face.

“Mm,” you agree, trying to push yourself up off the floor.

John’s hands take your upper arms supporting your attempt to struggle to your feet. “Hey, hey, slow down. What’s happened?” He asks quietly.

You shake your head and look to the floor trying to avoid John’s eye. “I didn’t mean, I just, fell, I wasn’t knocking.” You babble.

John’s hand comes to your chin gently lifting your gaze to meet his. You shrink away. “What happened?” He repeats, slowly, softly, eyes flitting over your face, anger flashing in his eyes as your lip trembles. “Rosie, was it him?” You shake your head and bite your lip to stop it trembling. “Rosie,” John repeats, an edge to his voice now, “what did he do?”

“It was an accident,” you whisper.

“For fuck’s sake!” John yells slamming his open hand against the wall opposite.

You recoil from him, backing into the wall and wrap your arms tightly around yourself.

“What the fuck’s going on down there?” Arthur’s familiar voice bellows down from upstairs.

“No, please,” you plead.

Before John can answer Arthur and Tommy are standing in the hall. Both had obviously been getting ready for bed, in undershirts and suspenders hanging down from the waistbands of their pants. Tommy looks at John “You warned him last time didn’t you?” There’s an accusation in his tone.

“Of course I fucking did!” John spits at his brother indignantly.

“I didn’t mean to disturb you, I’ll go. I just sat down for a minute. Everything’s fine.” You say quickly trying to smile and slide along the wall towards the door.

“Fine?” Tommy repeats with a shake of his head.

“Rosie,” John says, he reaches for you but holds himself back as you shrink away “please, tell us what happened?”

“It was an accident,” you say looking from brother to brother.

Accident my ass,” Arthur grunts. “Come on Tommy,” he says pulling his suspenders up over his shoulders.

“No!” you cry moving between the door and the brothers blocking their paths.

“It’s no fucking accident that you’re running around barefoot and in your nightie at fucking half one in the morning,” John says anger thick in his voice. “Shaking like a fuckin’ leaf, half fucking frozen.” He says pulling an overcoat from the hook on the wall and stepping towards you to wrap it around you.

“No,” you repeat, putting your hands up to hold him at bay.

“Fuck, you’re bleeding!” John says dropping the overcoat to the floor and grabbing at your forearms and pushing up the sleeves of your cardigan. You flinch away, wincing as his hands close around your wrists. Tommy and Arthur step closer and along with them comes darkness.

“John?” You say weakly grabbing at his shirt front as your legs give way.

 

“Rosie? Rosie love? Rosie, wake up ‘ey,” John’s voice is warm and his hand soft as it strokes your cheek.

You open your eyes, you’re in the Shelby’s sitting room. Lying on the sofa with John kneeling next to you and Tommy and Arthur standing behind him. “What happened?” You ask John, reaching out to stroke his face, troubled by the worried look on his face.

“You fainted love,” he replies, his eyes widening as he looks at your wrist.

“Did he do that?” Tommy asks nodding towards your wrist.

Tears flood your eyes and you swallow hard, shaking your head, looking only at John. You brush your fingertips over his face unable to form the words, terrified of what they would do. John’s eyes close and he leans in, pressing his forehead to yours. “Rosie, please tell me what happened?”

“I just wanted it to stop,” you whisper.

You feel John’s body stiffen, “Did you,” John’s voice catches as a tear rolls down his face, “to yourself?”

You nod as tears run down your cheeks.

Arthur places a hand on John’s shoulder squeezing it firmly. “Rosie, please, what happened?” John whispers, stroking your hair and lifting your hand to his mouth to kiss the back of it gently. You shake your head and close your eyes unable to bear the pain in John’s eyes. You feel John sigh against your cheek and he pulls you into his chest, cradling the back of your head gently. “I’m going to make sure he never hurts you again.” He says in your ear, pressing his lips to it as he begins to stand.

“No!” you cry.

“It’s alright love,” Arthur says. “He needs to pay for what he did.”

“Can’t let someone hurt a Shelby’s girl and get away with it,” Tommy adds.

“No.” You repeat scrabbling to your feet. You sway dangerously and John captures you in his arms, guiding you back down onto the lounge. “I have to go,” you say leaping to your feet again. “They can’t find me here.” You struggle against John trying to get to your feet.

“Who’s they?” Tommy asks.

“The police.” The room stops as the three men look at you dumbfounded. You stand again.

“What happened?” John repeats.

“He caught me” you nod towards your wrists, “and he was angry and the knife was already in my hand and I, I tried to run, but I tripped and I, I stabbed him.” Your legs give way again and you sit heavily on the lounge.

“Fuck,” Arthur says.

“Is he dead?” John asks.

“I don’t know,” you whimper as the tears begin to flow in earnest.

John wraps you in his arms and this time you let him, collapsing against him and sobbing into his chest. John rocks you gently, “Shush, everything’s going to be alright.” He assures you. Tommy clears his throat and John looks over your head at his brother, he nods once. They nod in return and slip from the room. John pulls you closer as the front door closes with a bang. “You’re safe now,” John whispers to you, “Safe with me and protected by the Peaky Blinders.”

**Author's Note:**

> I welcome feedback, reviews and constructive criticism of my work (including spelling and grammatical errors). If you would prefer to speak to me in private feel free to contact me via my Tumblr @twistedrunes. 
> 
> I also wholeheartedly support further transformations of my work, recordings of podfics and/or translations - please refer to the permissions in my profile for more detail.


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